Photoshop for total beginners

Voldemort

Voldemort

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Paul
Edit My Images
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There are hundreds of help videos on youtube but I'm struggling one that starts from the premise that you've never used photoshop, nay not even seen anyone else use it.

Any recommendations on where to begin?
 
Lock yourself in a room with your computer and play with the software package of your choice for a weekend and I'm sure you'll get a grip on at least the basics... and then the help videos will make more sense.
 
I did what woof said and when i got stuck i googled the problem watched the video or read the tutorial then tried again and eventually it will hit home.
 
When I started with Photoshop about 10+ years ago, I went on a local Adult Learning course. It took me from nothing, via learning things that I don't necessarily use now, but learning the program pretty well. It was good to have someone there to help when problems arose. Pointing out relevant shortcuts, and common mistakes. :) You can't ask a video what went wrong. ;) There are parts of the program that I learned on the courses I went on, but never use. There is even more that I have never touched because they do things that I don't need, and/or have any interest in. :shrug:

However, if that is not a route that appeals, books, videos, websites, online courses, there is so much choice, it is deciding which route appeals. People learn in different ways. It's finding which way is best for you. :shrug:

And then it's finding which are best books, videos or websites etc. ;)

If it is videos, then think of something you want to do, correct colours, correct exposure, replace a sky, remove spots, be that sensor dust, or spots on peoples faces, ;) whatever, by following those videos you should pick up how the program works to some degree. But nobody knows how the whole program works, and most just learn what they need to learn to do what they want. :shrug:
 
What I tend to do is decide what it is actually want to do to an image first. So for example, if I have an image, and wanted to remove a lamp post from it I would simply google "photoshop remove lamp post". Top result has the answer ;)

I have just recently started to take more photos of family and friends. Recently, someone asked me to perfrom a little teeth whitening on the image. So, having never done it before, i Googled "photoshop whiten teeth".

I find this the easiest way, and I find that I do things and think "ahh that might be handy in other situations too". This method might not work for everyone, but it works for me.
 
Paul as you say there are many tutorials about but when you are looking at the PS workspace for the first time it is daunting.
All the above is good advice, jumping in is all well and good, but don’t think its easy cos it aint.
As one of the above has said nobody knows it all, except maybe Julieanne Kost, http://blogs.adobe.com/jkost/photoshop-training-videos .
So here’s a beginners course on CS3/4, its under training but its all there,
http://ephotopros.com/training/adobe-photoshop-cs4.aspx
http://ephotopros.com/training/adobe-photoshop-cs3.aspx
http://ephotopros.com/training/video-archive/id/308/photoshop-screenshot-help-videos-thing.aspx

Good luck.
Rhodese.
 
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One of those magbooks you see in WHSmiths* would be useful I think. There are a few aimed at beginners with CD's with tutorial files on.

* Other newsagents are available.
 
I found Scott Kelby's books the most useful.
 
Hi, "Photoshop For Dummies" books are a good starting point, and as someone else said Scott Kelby books are very good and easy to understand. Amazon do them at a very good price. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks all.
 
Despite all the magazine vids I had, it was great to have someone go through most of the tools with me on the computer 1 to 1 for an hour or two. All videos made much more sense and were a lot easy to follow afterwards. As someone said it is daunting in the beginning.

Where are you based? Maybe someone can spend some time with you?
 
dankellys said:
What I tend to do is decide what it is actually want to do to an image first. So for example, if I have an image, and wanted to remove a lamp post from it I would simply google "photoshop remove lamp post". Top result has the answer ;)

I have just recently started to take more photos of family and friends. Recently, someone asked me to perfrom a little teeth whitening on the image. So, having never done it before, i Googled "photoshop whiten teeth".

I find this the easiest way, and I find that I do things and think "ahh that might be handy in other situations too". This method might not work for everyone, but it works for me.
Click to expand...

^^This. Find something you want to achieve, then work out how :)
 
The thing with using online vides etc, is that you don't know the logical starting point, because you don't know what you don't know :)

Search for "Photoshop Tools Tutorial" first, as that will probably start with the interface, and tools themselves" Then move up to "Photoshop Selections and masking Tutorial" perhaps, as that's maybe the next logical step. Then "Photoshop Layer Tutorial".

By the time you've worked through that you're probably already well on the way to intuitively using it anyway.

The mistake most people make is to search for tutorial on how to do specific things they've seen in other work, and then get dismayed when the videos assume prior knowledge.
 
Pookeyhead said:
The thing with using online vides etc, is that you don't know the logical starting point, because you don't know what you don't know :)

Search for "Photoshop Tools Tutorial" first, as that will probably start with the interface, and tools themselves" Then move up to "Photoshop Selections and masking Tutorial" perhaps, as that's maybe the next logical step. Then "Photoshop Layer Tutorial".

By the time you've worked through that you're probably already well on the way to intuitively using it anyway.

The mistake most people make is to search for tutorial on how to do specific things they've seen in other work, and then get dismayed when the videos assume prior knowledge.
Click to expand...

Yep! The point I should have made in my post above. Seriously, get some 121 if you can.

(Sorry Pookey guy...feel I'm following you around tonight but it's not on purpose.)
 
Pookeyhead said:
The thing with using online vides etc, is that you don't know the logical starting point, because you don't know what you don't know :)

Search for "Photoshop Tools Tutorial" first, as that will probably start with the interface, and tools themselves" Then move up to "Photoshop Selections and masking Tutorial" perhaps, as that's maybe the next logical step. Then "Photoshop Layer Tutorial".

By the time you've worked through that you're probably already well on the way to intuitively using it anyway.

The mistake most people make is to search for tutorial on how to do specific things they've seen in other work, and then get dismayed when the videos assume prior knowledge.
Click to expand...

:plusone: :agree:

From my previous post.
http://ephotopros.com/training/video-archive/id/308/photoshop-screenshot-help-videos-thing.aspx

Rhodese.
 
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